Short-contact push-button



'W.GADKE. SHORT CONTACT PUSH BUTTON.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- H, 1916.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

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Patented-Apr 6,

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WILLIAM GADKE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHORT-CONTACT PUSH-BUTTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. .6, 1920.

Application filed August 11, 1916. Serial No. 114,408.

number of the metal parts for die-stamping,

to release by reason of rotary movement and to insure scraping or wiping contact.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and particularly in the claims thereof.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by but two forms, both of which have been constructed by me and have proved to be practical, efficient and inexpensive and at the same time well illustrate the principles of my invention. 7

Figures 1 and 2 are a top plan View and a bottom plan view, respectively, of one form of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a section of Fig. 1 upon line 3-3.

Fig. d is a top plan view of a second form.

Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. l. upon line 55.

Fig. 6 is a section corresponding to Fig. 5 but with the movable parts in different positions.

In the drawings, similar numerals of reference indicate like parts.

Taking up first the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3 i The. outer shell 6 is apertured at 7 for passage of the end 8 of press-button 9. It also has holes for screws 10, by which the shell is held to the insulating body 11 and at 12 for the usual fasteners by which the shell is mounted.

The body 11 is longitudinally bored at 13 to receive and guide the enlarged base 1 1 of the button. A slot 15, preferably radial to the bore, and a second slot 16, transverse tothe first slot, give room for movement, re

spectively, of a contact plate 17 and a pin 18 passing transversely through this plate. The plate is normally pressed outwardly by a spring 19 secured to the shell. and which engages the plate in any convenient way, here shown as through the medium of a second transverse pin 20 secured to the plate.

To secure desirable balance in the spring pressure, a bifurcated spring is used which tact nose 26 shall pass between and momentarily electrically join the opposite spring clips 27, 28. These clips are joined to strips 29, 30, respectively, which are secured to the body by pins 31 and receive outside electrical connections through screws 32, 33.'

In operation the button is pressed inwardly, compressing spring 22 and sliding the contact plate 17 inwardly against the pressure of spring 19 until the nose 26 engages with the clips and closes the desired contact. This occurs before the button has reached the end of its stroke. Further movement of the button causes the pin 18 to seat against the bottom walls 34 of the slot 16, with the result that the inwardly moving plate then rocks about pin 18 until the shoulder 25 moves out from under the ferrule edge of the button. The plate is now free from the button and is retracted by spring 19 to approximately its initial position. During this retracting movement its edge 35 will be substantially parallel to the adjoining cylindrical sidewall of the button. The plate will remain slightly canted, with the edge 35 against the side wall of the button until the button is released and is returned by spring 22 to its initial position. As its ferrule passes the shoulder, the plate is rocked by spring 19 until its shoulder is in axial line with the button ferrule.

In the form shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the shell 6 is secured to a body which is similarly recessed at 13 to receive a spring-sup ported ferruled button 9. The strips 29, 30' similarly serve to receive the outside wiresto be connected, but the clips between which the contact is made and the contact-making construction are different. One of the clips 27 is in constant Contact with a star wheel 36, having any convenient preferably small number of teeth 37 38, 39, a0, each of whosepoints 11, 412, 413, 414 in turn forms a scraping contact for a part of its movement with the second clip 28. I prefer to form oppotour, the same for a like part of each tooth,

resulting in alternating edges 45, 46 of which 45 are most desirably conveXed. The edges 46 are conveniently made straight.

At the beginning of'each stroke, the outer end of one of the convexed edges 45 of this star wheel, that of tooth 37, as illustrated,

lies in axial line With the button ferrule. As

the button engages this edge and turns the wheel, riding farther up upon the edge with movement of the wheel, one of the points, as 42, engages the clip 28 making contact. Nhile the point making engagement is most conveniently that of the tooth diagonally opposite the tooth engaged by the ferrule,

- and the rotation of the point causes it to by the button. 7 often as required.

' recede, relatively, when the spring 48 becomes elfective to complete the turning movement of the wheel. The wheel therefore turns until it is stopped by the button, and, when the button is retracted by its spring, is still further turned by the spring 48 until tooth 40 occupies the position first occupied by tooth 37,, reac y to be engaged This action is repeated as The contact 28 may be so placed that the tooth making contact with it shall be disengaged by turning movement due to the movement of the button directly or the tooth may be freed from this contact by reason of the further impetus given the tooth by reaction of spring 48, as preferred. The latter gives a quicker disengaging movement and longer contact, and for these reasons ofiers some advantage. 8

It will be evident that the star wheel is itself effective as a plate and that with it, as also with the plate of Fig. 3, the final turning movement of the plate to bring the neat tooth or the shoulder 25 into position for engagement by the edge of the button is given by the spring 48 or the spring 19. Each has a final swinging movement, notwithstanding that their lnitial movements are different, the wheel rotating Where the other blade slides. I

It will thus be seen that I have provideda button which can not be rung an indefinite length of time, as the button must be released from one momentary contact in order to make another momentary contact possible.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a push button, a front plate, an insulating body secured thereto, a button mo able within the body, spring return for said button, a movable plate directly engaged by said button and given part of its movement thereby and separate spring-pressed means for giving the plate final movement, first to cause it to rest against the side of the button and, when the latter has returned to its initial position, to cause the plate to move transversely of the button ready for a second enga ement by it.

2. In a push button, a front plate, an insulating body secured thereto, a springretraoted press button in said body, a movable plate engaged by the button and adapted to close a contact and spring-pressed means, opposing initial contact-closing 'movement of the plate, and effective to move the plate, first against the side of the button and then, when the button has returned to its initial position, to bring the plate into position for a second engagement.

3. In a push button, a front plate, an insulating body secured thereto, a spring-retracted push button movable in said body, a rotatable toothed plate adapted to be engaged by said button, a contact closed by said plate and spring-pressed means for completing movement of the plate to a position where a succeeding tooth can be effectively engaged by the button when the button has returned to its initial position.

4. In a push button, a front plate, an insulating body connected therewith, a springretracted push button movable in said body, a star wheel adapted to be engaged, one tooth at a time, by said button, a contact engaged by another tooth of said star wheel as the button is pressed in and springpressed means opposing the rotation of the star wheel for a part ofits turn and subsequently effective to turn the wheel the balance of its movement to bring the next adjoining tooth to that tooth previously engaged into line for engagement by the button when the button has returned to its initial position.

WILLIAM GADKE. Witnesses:

KATHRYN A. SUMMERS, WM. STEELL JACKSON. 

